More than Half of Moms Say They are More Financially Stressed during the Holiday Season

A recent BJ’s Wholesale Club survey conducted online by Harris Poll among more than 900 women 18-65 with children under 18 in the household (referred to as “moms”) found that budgeting and shopping are the major sources of stress during the holiday season. The survey asked moms about the best – and worst – parts of the holiday season.

Over half of moms who have holiday dinners (56 percent) say they are solely responsible for preparing holiday dinner, and many feel stress when it comes to preparing that meal. More than two-thirds of moms who have holiday dinners (68 percent) say it can be difficult to find affordable, healthy meal options for holiday dinners, while nearly the same proportion (67 percent) say the cost/amount they’ll spend on food makes them stressed during the holiday season.

“Our assortment of produce, deli platters, frozen appetizers and more make it easy and affordable for moms to find quality food for their holiday celebrations,” said Lee Delaney, executive vice president, chief growth officer, BJ’s Wholesale Club. “We’ve even created an easy menu for under $100 to help moms prepare for their big events.”

When hosting holiday meals or parties, a few key items top moms’ shopping lists:

71 percent shop for wine, beer or liquor

68 percent shop for fresh-cut meat

56 percent shop for serving ware

The main factors that cause moms who shop for holiday dinners or parties stress include:

When it comes to gifting, 78 percent of moms say at times, they find it difficult to shop for everyone on their holiday gift list. The majority (76 percent) say their children are easy to shop for while their relatives (39 percent) and their spouse/partner (38 percent) are difficult to shop for.

It’s not all stressful, though. Most moms (71 percent) say they love the holiday season with even more (73 percent) saying their favorite part of the holiday season is spending time with family and friends. Following quality time with loved ones, decorating their home (53 percent), enjoying time off from work (49 percent) and giving someone the perfect gift (48 percent) top the list of the favorite parts of the holiday season for moms.

BJ’s helps takes the stress out of the holidays for mom as a one-stop shopping destination. Moms can get everything from fresh deli platters, wine, beer or liquor, fresh meat – including a free butcher service to cut and package, frozen appetizers, serving ware and gifts at a BJ’s near them. Plus, Members save up to 25 percent off grocery store prices when shopping at BJ’s.

BJ’s Wholesale Club will continue to offer Members convenient shopping options during the holiday season including in-club shopping, BJs.com and its recently launched Pick Up & Pay service.

Customers not currently enrolled in Membership can sign up for a free 90-day trial at the Membership desk to take advantage of the hot deals BJ’s is offering this holiday season.

BJ’s Members can save even more when they shop the club first and fill up their gas tank at a BJ’s Gas® location on the same day. From Nov. 1, 2016 – Jan. 1, 2017, Members will receive 5 cents off per gallon when filling their tank at a BJ’s Gas location after shopping at a BJ’s Wholesale Club location.

This survey was conducted online in the U.S. by Harris Poll on behalf of BJs Wholesale Club between November 3 and 9, 2016. The research was conducted among 906 US women aged 18-65 who have child(ren) under 18 in their household (“moms”). Figures for age, race/ethnicity, education, region, household income, marital status, employment and household size were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

Headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, BJ’s is the leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States. The company currently operates 214 clubs and 130 BJ’s Gas® locations in 15 states.